JuvenileDrugAbuse1

Mephedrone:MeowMeow
KaleeTyler
EatonRESA
February11,2014

JuvenileDrugAbuse2
Abstract
Mephedroneisanillegalpowderysyntheticstimulant.MephedronecomesfromtheKhat
plantofEastAfrica,givingitthestreetnamesofMeowmeowormkat.Usersmay
swallow,snortorinjectMephedrone.Thisdrugproducessimilareffectsasecstasyandis
the4thmostuseddrugintheUK.Individualsusingmephedronemayexperience,butnot
limitedtoexcessivesweating,headaches,andincreasedexcitement.Manypeople
confusemephedronewithmethadonehowever,methadoneisapainkillermostlyusedto
treatheroinaddicts,whereasmephedroneisanewrecreationaldrug.Youcaneasilyget
psychologicallyaddictedtomkatandthewithdrawalsideeffectsmightbemoreserious
thantheeffectswhileusingthedrug.

JuvenileDrugAbuse3

Mephedrone:MeowMeow
Mephedroneisacombinationofmanyillegaldrugs.Mephedronemaybeawhite
powderysubstancelikecocainehoweverithasthesameeffectsasecstasyorBath
salts.MephedroneisalsocalledMeowMeoworMkat.Mephedronemaybesnorted,
smoked,swallowed,orinjected.Injectionistheleastcommonwaytoconsumethisspecific
drug.Whileundertheinfluenceofmephedrone,usersmayfeelalert,arrogant,confident
andinsomecasesextremelyviolentsomeindividualsexperienceparanoia,sickor
anxious.
However,manypeoplemistakemephedroneformethadone,whicharetwototally
differentdrugs.Mephedroneisanillegalrecreationalamphetaminethathassimilareffects
ofspeed,cocaineorbathsalts.Methadoneisapainkilleropiatemostlyusedtotreat
heroinaddicts.Methadoneisprescribedbydoctorsandthepatientisundersurveillance
whiletakingmethadone.
Mephedroneiseasytoobtain.Mephedronesellsforaslittleas$7.00pergramand
manyusersbuyitonline.Betweenpeerpressureandhowcheapthisdrugsells,many
juvenilesareusingMephedrone.Mostusersarebetweentheagesof16and24.Mostof
theseusersarelocatedinAustralia,theUKandScotland.
MephedronewasfirstmanufacturedinIsraelandwasmadeillegalin2007.
MephedronebecameincreasinglypopularandwaslegalintheUnitedKingdomasof
2009,butwasagainbannednotonlybytheUK,butthewholeEuropeanUnionin2010.
Manyindividualswereabletopurchasemephedroneonline(Winstock,2010).
JuvenileDrugAbuse4
Mephedroneisadangerousdrug.Onemanreportedlystabbedhismotherthen
proceededtocuthisowngenitaliaoffwhilehighoffthisdrug.A17yearold,LewisDale,in
theUKisontrialforattemptedmurderofhis80yearoldgrandfather,AllenDaleand
murderofhis78yearoldgrandmotherwhileabusingmephedrone.ItwaslikethatPsycho
filmNormanBatesAllenDaledescribedasherecountedtheeventsashehelplessly
witnessedashisgrandsonstabbedhiswifeof57yearstodeath.LewisDaleclaimshe
doesnotrememberanyoftheseevents(MailOnline,11).
Quittingmephedronemaybemoredifficultthandealingwiththesideeffectswhile
usingthedrug.Manyaddictswillexperiencewithdrawaleffectswhiletryingtoquit.
Withdrawalsymptomsarethoseofanyotherpsychoactivedrugincluding,butnotlimitedto
strongcravings,aggression,severeheadaches,tremors,fatigue,anxiety,muscletension.
Therearemanydrugrehabcentersthataremorethanwillingtohelpanyoneovercome
theiraddictiontomephedroneoranyotherpsychoactivedrug.Mostrehabilitationcenters
havefinancialhelpprogramsaswell(Nordqvist,2010).
Mephedroneisarecreationaldrugthatmaylooklikecocaineandwillproducea
highsimilartoecstasy.Mephedronewillpotentiallyruinyourlifejustlikeanyotherdrug.
Mostjuvenilesgiveintopeerpressuretooeasily.Althoughmephedroneissocalleda
LegalHighthesideeffectsaredangerousandevenlethalinsomecases.Apersonwill
notrememberwhattheysaid,didorthoughtaboutwhilehigh.Manyusersexperience
aggravationandaggression,paranoiaandexcitementwhileabusingmephedrone.Some
actionspursuedbyindividualshighonmephedronehaveseriouslyinjuredandeven
murderedthepeoplearoundthem.
JuvenileDrugAbuse5
References
MailOnlineNews.(December,112013).RetrievedfromMailOnline:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article2521885/ItlikescenePsychoGrandfatherdescrib
esmomentsawwifestabbeddeathgrandsonlegalhigh.html
Nordqvist,C.(2010,April1).WhatisMephedrone?WhataretheEffectsof
Mephedrone.RetrievedfromMedicalNewsToday:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/184233.php
What'snew.(2012,May11).RetrievedfromTeenWirral:
http://www.teenwirral.com/news/factsaboutmephedrone#addictedmeph
Winstock,L.M.(2010,November6).Mephedrone:StillAvailableandtwicethe
price.RetrievedfromTheLancet:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS01406736(10)620211/fulltext